DPJ wants open debates.
Posted by Matt Dioguardi on October 4th, 2007
From a Yomiuri opinion piece:
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… it was natural for Fukuda and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Bunmei Ibuki, in his interpellation of the prime minister, to call for policy discussions between the ruling and opposition blocs on such issues as pension system reform, reform of the taxation system, including the consumption tax, and the extension of the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.
But Hatoyama refused to accept the LDP’s olive branch, saying, “We don’t want to have closed-door talks like bid-rigging negotiations.” Instead, Hatoyama urged Fukuda to “organize Diet debates between the prime minister and opposition party leaders before seeking talks with opposition party leaders [in forums other than the Diet]” in order to “realize full-fledged discussions at the Diet.”
If I am reading this correctly, then I agree with the DPJ’s stance here. If there’s going to be cooperation or compromise, it shouldn’t be over sake in some izakaya, but instead as a result of open debates that the public can follow. Sounds too good to be true …